Winchester Defender for Shotguns

The shotguns’ image as “the one gun for everything,” has been well earned on the range, in the field and throughout history, as an all-purpose defensive firearm, too. When it comes to home defense, many people opt for a shotgun for a lot of reasons. The chief one being perceived aim forgiveness—the thought being that if a shooter’s aim is off a little, the spreading pattern of shot doesn’t need to be as precise as a bullet to still strike the target. Less penetration of projectiles through walls is another reason, at least where shot is concerned.

But what if you could have the precision and knockdown power of a single, well-aimed projectile along with some of that spread common to shot loads for a little aiming forgiveness? Enter Defender with its three offerings available for shotgunners.

To start, there is the segmenting slug, available in 12 gauge, and new for 2014, 20 gauge, too. The slug is notched to break apart upon impact into three distinctive hard-hitting projectiles. The round delivers the best of both a slug and buckshot load without the need to buy two separate rounds.

Similarly, the Defender 12-gauge slug and buck combo packs three pellets of Grex buffered 00 plated buckshot atop a 1-ounce rifled slug. It’s all packed inside the distinctive black Winchester hull. The slug and buck combo is a tight patterning load that provides great power and accuracy at short range.

Lastly, Winchester’s Defender line offers both a 21⁄2-inch and a 3-inch .410 loading that is packed with a combination of plated Defense Disc projectiles and pellets of plated BB shot. It works equally well in both shotguns and handguns made to accommodate .410 shotshells, such as the famed Judge. This is a great short-range defensive round designed to stop threats fast.

For those people looking to secure peace of mind in their home by keeping a shotgun nearby, no matter what gauge they choose, Winchester’s Defender line has a load that will more than do the job.